National News Roundup: Winter Storm Deaths, Election Investigation, Execution, and More
Across the United States, a series of significant events unfolded Wednesday, ranging from a deadly winter storm to an FBI search of an election office and the first execution of the year.
A powerful winter storm gripping a large part of the U.S. has been linked to dozens of deaths. CBS News confirmed at least 49 fatalities directly caused by the storm or weather-related accidents. Officials in numerous states reported approximately 24 additional deaths that appeared to be related to the winter weather. Causes of death included hypothermia, car accidents, snowplow accidents, sledding accidents, and cardiac emergencies linked to shoveling snow. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated that 10 people had been found dead in the cold in New York City, though the causes of death were not yet confirmed for all.
In Georgia, the FBI executed a search warrant at an elections office in Fulton County, seeking ballots related to the 2020 presidential election. Fulton County confirmed the search, stating that the FBI "sought a number of records related to 2020 elections." A state senator present at the scene told reporters that the FBI sought hundreds of boxes of ballots. Deputy FBI Director Andrew Bailey and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard were observed outside the elections office. A planned news conference with federal officials was later canceled.
In Texas, Charles Victor Thompson, 55, became the first person executed in the U.S. this year. He was condemned for the April 1998 shooting deaths of his ex-girlfriend, Glenda Dennise Hayslip, 39, and her new boyfriend, Darren Keith Cain, 30, in Tomball, a Houston suburb. Thompson was pronounced dead at 6:50 p.m. Central Time following a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville. In his final words, Thompson asked the families of his victims to forgive him, stating, "that you can begin to heal and move past this," adding, "There are no winners." Thompson had previously escaped from custody after being sentenced to death and was on the run for three days.
In New York, Carlisle Rivera, who was hired as part of a murder-for-hire plot to assassinate Iranian dissident Masih Alinejad, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Prosecutors stated that Iranian operative Farhad Shakeri tasked Rivera to carry out the assassination. Alinejad, an activist and critic of Iran's repression of women, confronted Rivera at his sentencing in federal court in Manhattan. "Now I'm going to face the killer, my would-be assassin," Alinejad said before sentencing. "But the main killer in my eyes is the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps)." Prosecutors alleged that Shakeri directed two men in New York, including Rivera, to further Iran's assassination plots. Alinejad has survived three plots by Iran's regime to kill or kidnap her.
In Minneapolis, a video surfaced showing Alex Pretti, 37, in a scuffle with federal immigration officers 11 days before he was fatally shot in another encounter with Customs and Border Protection agents. A Pretti family representative confirmed the incident to CBS News, stating that Pretti sustained injuries but did not receive medical care. The video, recorded on January 13 and posted by The News Movement, shows Pretti confronting federal agents along with other protesters. CBS News partner BBC News verified the video, confirming it was filmed in Minneapolis. The video shows Pretti kicking and damaging the taillight of a government SUV.
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